RoboCop: 4 Things That Worked (And 6 That Sucked)

The Good

10. The Novak Element

As you all know, Samuel L. Jackson is in RoboCop playing Samuel L. Jackson/Pat Novak, a right wing TV commentator who has been modelled on the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. He cant understand why America is so hostile to idea of robots walking the streets and protecting Americans from crime. Why is America so Robophobic? he asks while showing all the good robots are doing in bringing peace around the globe.

Sporting an awesome hair piece, Novak rants to the American public about how they should be more open to the idea of being policed by robots. And he is more than happy to spin the evidence for his own agenda. These sections have more than a few similarities to the way Fox News presents its version of current affair  the right wing agenda of the station is always looming over whatever news is being reported.

Samuel L. Jackson relishes every line and is clearly enjoying playing the part and it shows. To see him cut off a senator who doesnt agree with his idea of policing and then spin it to make it look like the US Senate is pro-crime is a joy to watch. Anyone who has ever got annoyed by Glenn Beck will love the way these segments satirize the way right wing talk show hosts conduct interviews.

While it might not be Media Break from the original RoboCop, 'The Novak Element' is one of the few instances when the script is firing on all cylinders. Watching Novak desperately try and get America to be more accepting of robots when public and political opinion is against him serves as a brilliant analogy for the way Sony tried to sell the RoboCop remake to the general public.

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